Lunch-counter.



' B@ STEVENSON.

LUNCH COUNTER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2-7, 1911 A@ Patented J an.`9, 1912.

IBERTHA. STEVENSON, 0F GLOUCESTER, MASSACI-IUSE'J."1S.l

LUNCHCOUN'TER.

specification of Letters P atent. i

Application inea July 2'?, 1911. serial N9, 619,953.

To cLZZwhomit may concern:

Be it known that I, BERTHA STEVENSOIY, a citizen of the United States, and a res1- dent of Gloucester, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lunch-Counters, of which the following is aspeciication.v v

This invention relates to apparatus for serving individual orders of food in socalled Cafeteria lunch rooms, and it has for its objectto provide a. food counter comprising a plurality of receptacles or cells adapted to hold a plurality of different 1ndividual portions or orders of food at a point between t-he space devoted to attendants or serving girls, and the space devoted to customers, each receptacle being isolated from the others, protected from dust and dirt, and from promiscuous handling by the customers, andfrom germs from coughing, sneezing, etc.,maintained at a predetermined temperature either hot or cold, accessible both to the attendants :t'or refilling the receptacles, and to the customers to enable the latter to serve themselves, and exposed to view' through doors from both sides of the counter, so that both the 4attendants and the customers can readily inspect the re`- ceptacles.

The invention consists in the improvements' which I will now proceed to describe and claim. l

Of the accompanying drawings which form apart of this specification,-Figure 1 represents a front elevation of' an individual food counter embodying my invention; Fig. 2 represents a section on line 2 2 of Fig. 1, showing a part' of the counter; Fig. 3 represents a'section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, showing the ventire heightof the counter; Fig. 4 represents a partial front elevation, showing an ice-eceiving inlet in the top of the counter. I

Similar reference characters indicate similar parts in all the figures.

In the drawings :-12 and 13 represent substantially vertical front and rear externalA walls which with the complementa] end Walls 14, 14, the bottom wall 15, and the top wall 16, form the exterior of a `casing adapted to conta-in a suitable heating fluid such as hot water or steam, or a cooling duid or mixture'such as salt water, or brine, and ice. Each ofthe front and rear walls 12 and 13 is provided with a plurality of surrounding openings 17, to the margins of which are connected, bysuitable fluid-tight joints, a. plurality of Abox-shaped internal partitions 'or cells 18, which extend across the s ace between the front and rear walls, and orm a plurality of food receptaclesLwhich are open at both ends and coperate with the external Walls in forming a cellular jacket all portions of said receptacles excepting their ends. Said jacket is provided with suitable means for introducing l and removing a temperature-controlling fluid. As shown by Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the top Wall 16 is provided with an inlet 20 for said fluid, closed by a cap or .cover 21, and

the bottom is provided with a valved fluidv outlet 20,

When the counter is to be kept hot, the cap 21 may be provided with a vent 22, (Fig. 2) adapted to permita limited escape of steam, suitable heating means vsuch as `a gas burner or burners 23 beingl located below thebottom Wall `15 in position to heat the same and a charge of water introduced into the jacket.

vWhen the counter is to be kept cold, an inlet 20b is provided, 4this .being formed to receive a sufficient supply of cracked ice, as shown by Fighe. ln this case, the jacket mav be charged with salt water, or brine, which is kept cold by the melting ice. More than one ice inlet may be provided if desired. i

Each' box-'shaped partition or receptacle 18 is provided at the end. located inthe front wall 12, with a door 24 hinged at 25 and provided with a sight openingr covered bv a transparent closure 26, preferably 'of glass, and with a. handle 27 wherebv itmav be opened by a customer at the front side of the counter. Each receptacle is also provided at the end located in the rear wall 13. with a door 28' hinged at 29 and provided with a glazedsight opening 30, and with a handle whereby it may be opened by an attendant at the rear side of thc counter.

The-bottom wall 15 as here shown is provided with a downwardly offset portion surrounded b'v a raised' marginal portion or shoulder 15a adapted to rest on the top ofa table or frame 32. said top having ing 33 which receives the oii'set portion of the bottom. lVhe-n the counter is heated. the burners 23 are supported under the table or frame, and the bottom wall is made of a suitable heat-conducting metal, the end walls an operr'v Patented Jan. 9,1912.

14 and the portions of the front and rear walls 12 and 13 being preferably constructed as non-conductors or heat. As here shown, 'each of said non-conducting walls is composed of inner and Aouter layers of sheet metal and. an intermediate layer 34 of nonconducting material such as asbestos.

, The bottom of each cell 'er receptacle'lS 'constitutes' a 'shelf adapted to support' a dish containing a portion of food. Each 4shelf extends from front to rear of the casing and is obstructed at its ends only by the doors 24 and 2,8,each end being unobstructed `when the corresponding 'door is opened, so

that the food may be readily inserted at one end of the shelf by the attendant, and removed from the opposite end by the customer.

.It will now beseen that the described counter constitutes a structure which may be'intcrposed between the space devoted to attendants and the space devoted to cust'omers, and that the individual orders of food contained in the receptacles are kept at the desiredV temperature, shielded from dust and dirt and other contamination, and

accessible to customers, who are enabled to supply their own Wants, the attendants being required only to keep the several receptacles supplied, so thatquick service is readily obtainable, the supply or service being easily kept in advance of the demand A gage may be provided to indicate the height of liquid in the jacket'.

It has been found by actual practice that the described counter isa labor saving device, and enables one attendant to render in having their ends secured to the front and rearA walls respectively, the ends of said rec'eptac'les' being each,provided with a door, whereby each receptacle is accesslble to an attendant in rear of the counter and also to a customer vin front of the counter, said receptacles'being spaced apart and coperating with said externalgwalls to form a cellular jacket for a temperature controlling medium.

2. A lunch counter for individual orders provided with external walls including lfront j and rear walls, and aA plurality of open? ended box-like food-holding receptacles having their ends secured to the front and rear walls respectively, the ends of said relceptva'cles being each provided 'with a door,

whereby each receptacle is accessible to an attendant in rear' of the counterA and also to acustomer in front of the counter, the

` front doorsvhaving sight openings provided with transparent closures, said receptacles being spaced' apart and coperating with said external Walls to form accellular jacket lfor altemperature controlling medium.

3. A lunch. counter for individual orders provided with external walls including front and rear walls, and a plurality of open-I ended'box-like food-holding receptacles havj -I ing their ends secured to the frontand rear' walls respectively, the ends of said receptacles being eachprovided with a door, whereby said receptacles are accessible tol an attendant in rear of the counter and also -to .a customer in front of the counter, said receptacles being spaced apart and copmedium, the bottom external wall being adapted to conduct heat, while the remaining external walls are non-conductorsl of heat.v

In testimony whereof II have aiix'ed ,my signature in vpresence of two wltnesses.

l 'Baarn-A 'sTEvEnsoN-4 [La] VVitnes'ses i I' l H. Y. MEHLNET, A: A. BRIoKn'rr.

erating with said external walls to forma i cellular jacket for a temperature controlling 

